Fearless Friday: Creating a Visual Experience.

It's no secret that much of how we consume information is through strong visuals. As they say, "a picture can speak a thousand words" and never were those words truer in a culture of Instagram, YouTube, Snapchat and the like. And thank goodness for this trend or I'd be outta a job!

While I am not a photographer, I do believe that a little practice never hurt. One could say I've been practicing how to take a good picture for the last 6.5 years. Lucky for me it's a hobby I quite enjoy and when I do hit a home run...you can bet that I am running up to my husband to share just how killer my photo was. He is a very patient human being, that one.

Today I am sharing a few quick tips on achieving blogging/Instagram success. I can tell you that 27K followers later, this recipe works for me and the 101 things i love aesthetic.

Photo by Gabrielle Daylor

#livecolorfully: I am attracted to brights so this little hashtag works quite well for me. Whether it's my husband or myself taking the photos, I never post anything without editing. I have a formula that works for me which starts with brightening every image followed by a heavy dose of saturation. In other news, consumers are drawn to shades of blue and pink as a whole. I receive the most engagement when I post anything with these colors. My rule of thumb is if I'm wearing neutrals, I opt for a bright backdrop and if I am wearing bright colors, I opt for a neutral backdrop.

I get by with a little help from my friends: Ever wonder how foodies achieve those amazing overhead food porn shots? It takes a village! We stand on chairs and sometimes, we even ask our friends to jump in and shine their iPhone flashlights or LuMee cases down on our plates for those really dim restaurants corners. Trying to achieve natural light is half the battle of taking a really great shot. The other half is getting some movement like you see above. Ask your kiddo or boyfriend to reach for that crostini...I promise you it will bring life to your otherwise ordinary food photo!

P/S When in doubt...add flowers!

Photo by Gabrielle Daylor

Don't be so obvious: Some of the most interesting photos I've ever taken were not shot dead on. Sometimes just angling your phone ever so slightly can make for an interesting pic. The same goes for outfit shots. We don't need to see your entire body every time. Show us the details...an interesting neckline, a ruffle, a seam, your bracelets. Those details sometimes serve as the catalyst for your next affiliate sale. People like to know what they are buying + up close!

Texture everywhere!: This is my favorite tip. Street art shot tightly can make for some really great texture as illustrated in the picture above with my skull necklace. You'd never know where that was shot but I will tell you...on Armitage in an alley! My other favorite trick when I am creatively tapped out? The old throw blanket trick! See above. Here's why it works - it's a bright, white surface which allows your subject to stand out and take center stage yet the fur texture makes it a bit softer and luxurious. The rest is all about styling the products using interesting angles and positions. Bonus: all colors stand out when it comes to neutral rugs and blankets making this bedroom shot much more sophisticated than it really was! Trust me, I was wearing a grubby tshirt and sweatpants.

In the blogging community, FOMO is a real thing. This topic is especially poignant given that it's NYFW. And for what it's worth, I've attended several times and I am totally okay with not being there this year. It's not all glitz and glam...it's a lot of schlepping, sweating, missed cabs, foot pain and hunger. Would I go again? For sure. Am I okay with missing a few? Most definitely! But, I digress...

Anastasia Lupu is indeed the triple threat but the most striking feature about her is how incredibly kind and down-to-earth she is. Once you get over her supermodel looks, you realize just how whip smart she is and the likability factor goes wayyyy up.

She's a momma, a badass babe, a beauty and a business woman. Her floral company speaks to me and it's incredibly unique and custom which are two of my favorite things. The tagline: Boxed Flowers For The Well-Heeled. Where my stiletto-wearin' babes at? This one's for you!

Brittany is a trailblazer when it comes to online fashion. Don't take it from me though. She just received her 800th 5-star review on Poshmark, That's right ladies, she has built a business on selling yours and my clothing and accessories on one of the largest fashion marketplaces in existence and boy, she has a system! I've mentioned her on my Instagram before but she has literally changed my life overnight as I've been purging and cleansing my closet all summer. Interested? Read on!

All for one and one for all! In case you didn't know...there is a huge movement to band entrepreneurs together in new and exciting work environments that foster creativity, support and a giant networking pool to feed off of. Finding the right one is the tricky part of it all.

People always ask me where my office is located and my response is usually: EVERYWHERE. My team is never stationary and that's really the fun of what we do. Meetings, shoots, calls, TV segments, seminars...we do it all and all in the name of social media!

I have had my fair share of struggles with confidence. I can't blame it on a singular incident or my upbringing because I had an amazing childhood. It's just who I am. I think a lot of us struggle with being confident whether it's at work, with friends, our body image, parenting or even meeting new people. In fact, I would go so far as to say that it's in our female DNA. Never mind celebrities and postpartum mommas who are back down to their fighting weight in a matter of seconds. It's no wonder!

I've been wanting to write this post for some time. Problem was I had so many photos to edit and sort through because our staycation was that magical. Undoubtedly the best we've every had as a little family and it all began with the Swissotel Chicago.

I met Krista only recently and was immediately struck with how warm she was. Little did I know that she was the force behind Imperfect Grace which has been a social media profile I had been admiring, specifically on Instagram, for the last year. Her elegant, dainty jewelry designs are ideal for the urban momma on the go. Unique and minimalist with a touch of rock star. My kinda profile.

Melanie is the Queen of Lemonade. Her eponymous, mouth-puckering lemonade can be found amongst the shelves of specialty grocers as well as Jewel and soon, Mariano's. From a consumer standpoint, our family cannot.get.enough of this delicious beverage. Comprised of aronia berries and low on sugar, it makes for the perfect beverage for your babes and for the adults...try it with vodka or bubbles!